The thing I like about the iBook is the bigger screen, longer battery life, and better airport recepetion. As to the Powerbook; faster processor, bigger & faster hard drive, better graphics card.

At first, I thought I made the decision, but since it is a $20 difference I can't decide. So..those who have the powerbook, what do you have to say? What about those with the iBoook? What scares me out of the powerbook is that it heats up so much within the first minutes that I can't use the keyboard or put it on my lap..is it as bad as they say? How bad of an airport reception do these get? I saw that they have two antennas..does the ibook have it too?

[Edit] What about sweat marks that take off the color of the powerbook?

macrumors Penryn

I'd go with the PowerBook if it's only a $20 difference. They both have the same screen resolution of 1024 x 768 but the PowerBook's smaler screen will be sharper and you're get screen spanning without any hacks. The Powerbook is also lighter.

macrumors member

I've owned a 12" PowerBook for over a year, and I don't see what the whole deal is about wimpy people complaining that they get too hot. If you are a snowman, yes, this might be a problem. However, if you are a human, you probably won't ever be bothered.

As far as Airport reception is concerned, you're talking about a difference between 100% versus 95%. Negligible.

IMHO, the 14" iBook is the least delicious of Apple's offerings. The screen resolution is identical, so the "bigger" screen does nothing but make it more cumbersome to carry around.

While the iBooks are great machines, they feel cheap in your hand compared to a PowerBook. The processor, hard drive, and graphics chip will prolong the life of your notebook.

-side note- PowerBooks get great battery life too if you optimize your settings.

Moderator emeritus

I have both the 12" 1.33GHz PB and the 12"1.33GHz iBook. I'd pick the iBook over the PB for a portable (that is NOT meant to be my primary machine).

My PB always got much hotter, so uncomfortably hot that I'd have to leave it alone for a bit to let it cool off before using it again; my iBook has yet to get uncomfortably hot. (Note, some people w/ 15" PBs have gotten burns from using their PBs.)

My PB would struggle (in the exact same location) to get 1 or 2 bars of wi-fi reception while my iBook would get full reception (4 bars).

Of course, I am talking about the 12" iBook. Any specific reason why you're only considering the 14" iBook vs 12" PB and not the 12" iBook? All three have identical resolution...

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